Coker Tire Challenge 2016 Results and Photo Gallery

September 22, 2016

The month of September zooms by in Chattanooga, Tennessee, especially around the Coker Tire and Great Race headquarters. One thing that always gives us a break from the madness is the Coker Tire Challenge. It’s a miniature version of the Great Race that starts and ends each day in Chattanooga. The 2016 event is the 11th annual Coker Tire Challenge, and there was a record turnout of participants this year, with more than 50 cars taking over the back roads of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama for the weekend. The fun started Wednesday night as racers made their way into town, and then it started getting serious on Thursday with registration, tech inspection and some warm-up runs.

Unfortunately, our great rally friend, Jim Menneto from Hemmings Motor News had a catastrophic problem with his 1932 Ford speedster, but he didn’t pack it up and head home to Vermont. Instead, he used one of Corky’s loaner cars, an MG convertible. Brad Phillips from Hagerty also participated and borrowed a Mini from Corky to compete in the three-day rally. We were also excited to see our famous Great Race “Program Girls” Olivia and Genna Gentry competing in their first rally event. They will be competing in the 2017 Great Race! At the end of Sunday’s route, we crowned the champions, and this year, it was Jeff and Eric Fredette in their famous flag-waving Ford pickup! Our friend from Japan, Toshi Akasaka received the Bill Coker Spirit of the Event Award and gave away an award of his own to Charlie Brittingham. Take a look at our favorite photos from the weekend, and keep scrolling to see the final score sheet.